shared faith

So last night our class talked about passing faith to our children by 'sharing it.' Walking alongside each other in faith - worship, prayer, learning the Bible WITH our kids.

Today God arranged a cool lunch with a total stranger with whom I share faith.

Fellow pastor in town with some cool common ground, a similar heart for Christ and His church, and a passion to serve WITH each other in a local service project this summer.

Good things are best SHARED.

Where are some places your faith is SHARED? Where and with whom are you sharing your faith journey? Who prays for you and you pray for them? Who in your office, Rotary, class, or neighborhood is a perfect stranger that might become a friend?
Pray.
Act.
Enjoy.

thankful

So many things to be thankful for today.
Even with... loaded, unfinished 'to-do' lists.
Even with... questions or worries I tend to carry.
Even with... fears that pop up like 'whack-a-moles' sometimes.

I am thankful for so very much.
My faith in Christ.
My wife.
My children.
The joy of playing music.
Our home, vehicles, and possessions.
Great friends.
Health.
Our church.
And much, much more.

What about you?
Can you create a 10-point 'thankful for' list today? Right now?
Dare you.
Bet you there will be great results if you do.

choosing an attitude

Today has been filled with some tough circumstances.
My natural tendency is a downward spiral. It's unpleasant - for me and those around me.
Seeking to choose an attitude of trust in God, dedication to the habits and work necessary to make course corrections and keep myself dependent on Christ.
Now back to work.

(hope this helps someone do the same. pause. take stock. pray. act.)

reading without fear of 'boredom'

So...
Just read an article online by a pastor concerned about the number of churches that seldom read the Bible as part of their worship services.
The reasons given for NOT including the Bible more/as much included:
- the need to stay 'relevant' to people attending
- the age of the book
- a focus on 'self-improvement'

Dude. I could hammer on this with great passion for a long time, but... My commitment in this blog (for me and for you) is to keep it brief enough to read in a few minutes.

So suffice it to say this... We read the Bible in worship a lot. We even read key pieces out loud all together. It's part of who we are and will remain.
We are not worried about being relevant - God knows us and His Word is relevant to our issues, concerns, and needs. Passionate and accurate teaching of it is the key to relevance, not the content of the Bible itself.

And while we'd like our lives 'improved,' we're excited to let the One who architected (new word?) our lives do the renovations rather than trying to fix it with our limited resources, no matter how bright, intelligent, and cool we may be.

Age of book? Nobody's tossing out 'Romeo & Juliet' or Homer's 'Odyssey.' I think we'll keep our 'old book' too - smacks of authenticity, reliability, stuff like that.

Do we risk being 'boring' to some people by reading the Bible in worship? Um. Maybe. But so far, so good on the 'read-the-Bible-teach-it-and-find-people-wanting-more' front.

Don't Grow Weary

Taking a shot at vlogging.
Let me know what you think.

today's "favorite" Bible verse

Really, I enjoy and I am changed by and I love the Bible so very much that it's comical for me to talk about a 'favorite' verse. There are many that have truly changed me as God used them to tweak attitudes, forgive me, challenge me, use me, etc.

Today it's John 3:17. After reading the Purpose-Driven Life devo this morning, I thought, "So many name John 3:16 as a favorite." There's good reason to appreciate that verse. It's likely the most 'famous' verse in our culture among all people, churched or unchurched. But... 3:17 says, "...for God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world..." There's more but...

So many people wander or struggle through whole seasons of life believing God to be a big 'meanie' or 'crusher of bad people.' So many negative assumptions about God float around that many believe Him to be watching them waiting for any reason to condemn them.
Nothing could be farther from the truth.

So along with, "...God so loved" that you might share with a friend at work or school, memorize that 'next' part where He says, "...because God did NOT send Jesus into the world to condemn..." you. That way you have it ready to speak into their lives when they are down or assuming the worst about God's intentions toward them.

It's good news. Because we are 'condemnable' pretty often. Yet He chooses love over condemnation. Every time.

gathering around the table(s)

so i just finished an electronic convo with a friend who attends River Valley. he has worked out the donation of some more tables and chairs to the church. i am appreciative and thankful... to God for leading and changing hearts AND to those who let Him lead those hearts.
Tables?!? You're excited about tables and chairs?
welllll...
yeah!
because around those tables will sit teenagers who gather for youth ministry where they can be safe as they wrestle through challenging years of life and have the shot at making faith in Christ real and lasting for their lives.
and...
around those tables, children will stand and laugh and play and make crafts that remind them of the Bible story/lesson they are learning. they will eat snacks as they are told of the immense love Christ has for them.

So... no, it's not that I'm excited about the plastic in the tables or the length they are.
But... yes, I'm thrilled for the chance to have one person bring to this building some of the 'furniture' of the 'tabernacle' so that God can keep working, changing, transforming and using the hearts of those who gather around those tables!

looking past our belly buttons

even 'good people' are selfish. solid people with character and beliefs can tend to look out for only themselves or their close network of family and friends. and don't get me wrong, they should enjoy protecting, providing for, and loving those they love. but we can get 'stuck' living only for the very few very close ones in our lives.
sunday at church we reviewed our mission statement. it's quite clearly focused on others and on Jesus Christ. we reminded each other of the importance of reaching out and sharing faith and caring for those not in our 'little circle.' it was great.

since then i've had half a dozen conversations with people who resonated with that message - who had an awakening to the reality of being about more than our 'normal' crew.
and that is always good.
may God use our experience sunday and the continuing conversation about who we are and what we're about to help us see past our belly buttons and make a difference in the lives of those in our board rooms, break rooms, class rooms, and living rooms.
(and phillip - that includes you!)

uh, yeah. forgot.

maybe you're like me. vacation means... lots of work to get ready and go on vacation (especially when 9 of you will share a van/suitcases/bathrooms for the duration). then the vacation (last one was GREAT).
then...
the return/anxiety/catching up/piles/new needs, etc.

yeah. happened to me. doing just fine, but 'catching up' didn't include the blog again until...
(wait for it)
NOW!

Today I truly am enjoying my disciplines/habits, and chances to be and do what I'm called to with joy and hard work and fun and... blogging.
Have a great week.
Will try and remember to be here again soon!